Today, several of the regular dog bloggers and I met up at Connor's Lake for an afternoon swim (the dogs, not us). It was a blast. Our eight dogs ran into a bunch of others and they all swam and tromped in the mud. And every one of them was well-behaved.

A splendid way to spend a Memorial Day.

Did your dogs get to do anything fun on the holiday?

Here are a few pictures from today

Hangin' out at the swimmin' hole

Mesa was the fetching queen

The last one is about ready to spill over to a second page, so here's a new one to keep you chatting over the Memorial Day Weekend and beyond.

Discuss anything you'd like here.

Sunday, June 1, is Dog Day Afternoon at the Park Strip. Sponsored by the Scoop the Poop Committee, the event is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. near the Veterans Memorial.

I went last year, and it was a lot of fun. Contests this year include dog-owner lookalike, best trick and best howl. Also, see a flyball demonstration and take part in games including the "Poop Relay" and "You Don't Know Scat."

Licensing will be available, but be sure to bring proof of rabies vaccination. Dogs can't be licensed without it.

Be sure to bring a leash and some baggies to scoop up any accidents.

Here's the schedule of events

Click on the thumbnails to go to the first picture in the contest
The thumbnail pictures above are the ones to vote on this week. Here's how it works:

The last anything-goes topic has gotten pushed so far down the page that I can hardly find it anymore. Here's a new one to discuss anything you'd like.

Chase and Chip: on the (giant!) dashboard of a motorhome.

Maggie: a gorgeous Tibetan mastiff
Congratulations to jarnold and shanny for submitting this week's winners in the gallery photo contest. Bonus points all around! (That's a cheap way of saying, "attaboy."

We had a record 20 votes cast this week, and those two pulled down 5 each. I swear this dog gallery is the best reader-submitted gallery anywhere.

I still think jarnold shrunk her samoyeds to Yorkie size. There's no way two dogs that size can fit on the dashboard of anything. Toss in a couple extra bonus points for being on theme. There's definitely beach in the background.

Take our poll

A co-worker who pampers her dog is curious: She wants to know where most people bathe their dogs these days. Do you do it outdoors with the cold water from the hose? Indoors in the tub? In warm water at a dog wash?

I initially laughed at the idea. Hey, dogs swim in cold water all the time. What's wrong with the hose? But then I realized my Yorkies have never even seen a hose. One goes in the sink and the other the tub. And the one bath I've given my Lab since I got him was at a dog wash. And he still complained.

Biscuit: Click on the thumbnail to see our current adopt a dog of the week.

This week's topic is another one courtesy of Scott Gower from Animal Control. Scott notes that this week is Dog Bite Prevention Week and thought it might be a good time to discuss what responsible owners do to keep their dogs from nipping.

Here's a new page if you're feeling chatty. What's up with your pups?

The last anything-goes topic is bursting at the seams and ready to spill over to a second page, so here's a blank one for your dog-talking convenience.

Based on Sonya's phone call below, it looks like this event is not being held this year. Too bad.

The below item, discovered by dog blogger Sondral, appears on the muni's Web site. For those who missed it last year, it was a lot of fun. Owners coaxing bashful beagles into the water, Labs leaping off the 1-meter board. ... It only happens once a year to my knowledge, so you might want to check it out.

I'm going to be there to see if Rusty knows how to swim.

May 17 Doggy Swim
Saturday 12-4p $3/dog
Service Pool
Contact: C.B. Stewart, 343-4040

No lakes, no ponds, no streams...it's pool time and time for those dogs to swim indoors! We will open the doors to our beloved k-9s before we drain the pool for the summer, so that they can appreciate our pools, too! Service Pool is THE place to be for pooches and big dogs alike.

Here's a new anything-goes topic for you to discuss anything you'd like. What are your pooches up to this week?

Gallery contest: May 12, 2008

Here's our new gallery poll. Go to the gallery to see larger pictures of each dog and then go to the poll page to vote.

This week's question is about caring for older dogs. For those with experience, what problems did you run into and what solutions did you find? For everyone else, what are you fears?

If we're fortunate enough to have our dogs live out their full lives, this is an issue we will all run into. It would be nice to have some tips on what to watch for and what diet and medications to consider.

It would also be interesting to know at what age you started seeing signs of aging. Much of it will depend on the breed, but it would be nice to hear from people with experience.

The last anything-goes topic is about ready to spill over to a second page, so here's another to discuss anything you'd like.

We've had the below link on our home page much of the day, but I thought I'd cross post.

Malnourished dogs seized

Buddy: Click on the thumbnail to see our current adoption of the week.

Take our food poll

Gallery contest: May 4 contest
Check out the above photos more closely in the Dog Shots Gallery and then vote in our weekly poll. The start of the gallery contains some pictures that will appear in next week's poll.

The last anything-goes topic is about full. Use this space to introduce your own topics for discussion.

It didn't take a tracker to see that dogs have been using the Nunaka Valley Little League fields

The Scoop the Poop committee is off and running with the ball park cleanup effort. The first commitment was to help out Little League's cleanup at the Nunaka Valley ball fields Saturday. Up next is to join the effort to clean up the Davenport fields on Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m. Find directions to that below.

I was able to make it for about an hour Saturday, and Little League's community effort was inspiring. They had a small army of adults and kids raking every inch of every field and its perimeter, painting, hanging signs, you name it.